Enchanting life in the walawa
Spring Came Late
Vasanthaya Pamaaviya)
Author: Charlotte Perera
Sri Devi Printers 2016
Pages 399
 Spring Came Late is a vividly written novel by Charlotte Perera. The hero in
the novel is Edward Suriyabandara and the heroine is Chandra Kanthi Jayatillake.
The story begins with Kanthi arriving in Kandy from Colombo, to arrange a
wedding ceremony. Edward was there in the house when she arrived. Edward belongs
to an aristocratic family in the up country. He studied and lived in London for
over thirty years, and is a qualified engineer. When he came to Sri Lanka for a
wedding and a holiday, incidentally, he met Kanthi at the house of her
daughter-in-law Purnima.
Married
Earlier, Kanthi was married to Doctor Mervyn Jayatillake who met with an
accident five years after the marriage. Doctor Chandana was their only child who
married Doctor Purnima. That family lived in London and came to Sri Lanka for
Purnima’s sister’s wedding. Edward had never thought of a marriage, but, having
associated with Kanthi he decided to marry her. Kanthi too had some property and
her ancestral Walawwa in the south. When Edward married Kanthi, they went to
live in the Suriyatanna Walawa which belonged to Edward. The servants at the
Walawwa and the villagers all liked her and called her Mal Kumarihamy because
she was a lover of nature. Dingiri, Kiri Bandiya, Sarath and Kusuma loved and
respected her very much.
Sometimes the reader may misunderstand Edward, as an adamant person. Although he
was arrogant at times, he always respected the views of Kanthi. Edward was
deeply in love with Kanthi and she also offered her love and gratitude to her
husband. His attitude towards the servants is somewhat different. He prefers not
to be in close contact with them, as Kanthi, who was always kind to everybody
who visited the Walawwa. As a Buddhist, she was most helpful to the priests of
the village temple. On one occasion she donated a large amount of money to
renovate the temple, for which meritorious act, the Loku Hamuduruwo (Chief
Priest) and Mahinda Hamuduruwo praised Kanthi.
Anxious
Some events in the Walawwa are well depicted and the reader is anxious to know
what will happen next. In one incident, when Edward left the Walawwa without
informing Kanthi, she was upset and suffered mental agony. Kanthi became sick
due to dehydration and starvation, and when Edward returned home, he repented
his behaviour. He spent long hours at the nursing home looking after Kanthi
because of his guilty conscience. In spite of the little misunderstandings, they
lived together for twenty seven years, helping all the villagers who served
them. Charlotte Perera’s novel is readable. It is bilingual, though occasionally
there are Sinhala dialogues too. The way of life of the people of the Walawwa is
beautifully interpreted, by the author. I think it’s because she has experience
about the life pattern of these people’. One of the significant aspects of any
novel is to give an uninterrupted story. In this respect, it is remarkable.
Anybody who wishes to get a glimpse of Walawwa culture should read this novel.
- Prof. B.A. Tennyson Perera
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